Ryan McHugh

Ryan McHugh (born 11 April 1994) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Cill Chartha and the Donegal county team. He is the brother of Mark and the son of Martin.

Ryan McHugh
Personal information
Irish name Riain Mac Aodha[1]
Sport Gaelic football
Position Left Half Forward
Born (1994-04-11) 11 April 1994
Letterkenny, Ireland
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Occupation Ocean Knowledge employee[2]
Club(s)
Years Club
2011–
 Cill Chartha
Club titles
Donegal titles 1
Inter-county(ies)
Years County
2013–
 Donegal
Inter-county titles
Ulster titles 3
All Stars 2

A former county minor, McHugh propelled himself onto the national stage in 2014 with a 2–2 blitz of reigning All-Ireland champions Dublin in their live televised semi-final meeting at Croke Park.

McHugh has been likened to a child of school-going age — "You'd think he had just stepped off a school bus", GAA pundit Benny Tierney once said. His former county manager Jim McGuinness has suggested: "Even when the big hits are going in, Ryan has the ability to summon that little shimmy that helps to take him past defenders and allows him to set up colleagues."[3] Ciarán Kilkenny is another admirer.[4]

Playing career

Club

With his club Cill Chartha, McHugh won the 2012 Donegal Minor Football Championship.[5] He scored one point in the final.[6]

He also won the 2017 Donegal Senior Football Championship, scoring a point in the final. It was the first time his club had won the title in 24 years, having been defeated by Glenswilly at the same stage the previous year.[7]

Inter-county

Under-age

McHugh won an All-Ireland Vocational Schools Championship and captained the 2012 Donegal minor team.

He played in the under-21 team that lost to Cavan in the 2013 Ulster final, though had been troubled by a calf injury beforehand.[8][9]

He also played on the under-21 team that lost to Cavan in the 2014 Ulster final.[10]

He played in the 2015 Ulster Under-21 Football Championship final loss to Tyrone.[11]

Senior

Jim McGuinness drafted McHugh into his senior squad ahead of the 2013 season, with Donegal the defending All-Ireland champions.[12][13] Colm Keys of the Irish Independent named him as the third of his "ten young guns aiming to fire in the league" ahead of the 2013 National Football League.[14]

McHugh made his senior competitive debut in a home game against Down in the 2013 National Football League on 9 February 2013.[15][16][17] He made his senior Championship debut against Down as well later that year in June. Photographs of him appeared in the media the following day.[18]

McHugh won his first Ulster Senior Football Championship in 2014, scoring one point as Donegal defeated Monaghan in the final.[19]

McHugh propelled himself onto the national stage with a 2–2 blitz of All-Ireland champions Dublin in the 2014 semi-final meeting at Croke Park on 31 August.[20] Man of the match in that game, McHugh described himself as "fortunate" to have scored his two goals.[21] His brother Mark left him to the bus that morning, then sat by "and watched as [Ryan McHugh] became a household name in one afternoon".[22] In October 2014, McHugh was named as that year's All Stars Young Footballer of the Year.[23]

McHugh scored yet another Championship goal at Croke Park against reigning All-Ireland champions Dublin in 2016, though Dublin emerged with a five-point win on that occasion.[4] McHugh won an All-Star for his performances during the year.

McHugh started the final and scored a goal as Donegal secured the 2018 Ulster Senior Football Championship.[24] On 26 September 2018, however, it was announced that McHugh had accepted medical advice and would be sidelined for the remainder of the year due to concussion.[25][26][27] His injury came while playing for his club in a challenge match against Dublin champions St Vincents in Cavan in late August 2018 — he received a blow to the head during that match.[28][27] Concussion had also caused McHugh to spend six weeks on the sideline following a 2018 National Football League game (against Kildare[27] or Tyrone[25][26] depending on which report you read) earlier that year.[28][27] The injury meant he could take no part in the 2018 Donegal Senior Football Championship (of which his club were the defending champions), news which was worsened when taken in the context of the earlier loss of McHugh's club and county teammate Patrick McBrearty to a cruciate ligament injury.[29] McHugh won a second All-Star at the end of the season.[30][31] This remarkable achievement was further contextualized when McHugh later revealed he had suffered a "a slight bleed" in his brain and two concussions in seven months during that season.[32]

McHugh won his third Ulster SFC in 2019, scoring one point as Donegal defeated Cavan in the final.[33]

Other activities

English Football League Championship

McHugh, though from a football family, often used to play a bit of soccer with St Catherine's "as a distraction".[34][35] A scout for the professional English league side Reading spotted him at the age of 16 and McHugh was invited to England for a trial.[34][35][36] However, after playing several games,[35] McHugh decided he would prefer to return to football so off he went, back home.[35] That Reading team, then managed by Brian McDermott, were one year away from promotion to the Premier League.[34]

Peil Star video

In 2016, Ryan appeared in a street Gaelic football film created by Peil Star with Kieran Hughes (Monaghan), Richie Donnelly (Tyrone) and Niall McKeever (Antrim). The film was shot at Belfast's Titanic Quarter.[37]

Personal life

McHugh is the son of Martin, the BBC television analyst and 1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship winner.[38] His son Mark, Ryan's older brother, is also an All-Ireland SFC winner with Donegal.[39] Ryan McHugh's uncle James also played in the 1992 All Ireland Final and received an All Star in 1992. His cousin Eoin is James's son.[40]

As of 2020, Ryan McHugh was working at Ocean Knowledge, a fertiliser company, in Kilcar.[2] His cousin Eoin also works there.[2] The McHugh cousins often play golf together.[2] Ryan McHugh has a girlfriend.[36]

Honours
Donegal
Cill Chartha
Individual

References
  1. "Two changes for clash with Roscommon". Donegal News. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  2. Craig, Frank (23 April 2020). "Grass greener at home for [Eoin] McHugh". Donegal News. p. 54.
  3. Campbell, John (11 September 2014). "Ryan McHugh becoming Donegal's key man". The Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  4. "Dublin star says Ryan McHugh is a 'savage player'". Donegal Daily. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  5. McNulty, Chris (3 December 2012). "Minor Cup is 'back down the trough' after Kilcar win". Donegal News. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  6. McNulty, Chris (3 December 2012). "Major show from Eoin McHugh as Kilcar triumph". Donegal News. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  7. "End result all that matters for Kilcar after final win over Naomh Conaill". Donegal Sport Hub. 15 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  8. "Ulster U21 Final Live: Donegal 1-06 v Cavan 0-13". Donegal Now. 10 April 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2013. Ryan McHugh is starting for Donegal, despite picking up a calf injury against Derry.
  9. "Ryan McHugh a big doubt for Ulster final". Donegal Democrat. 8 April 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  10. "Cavan seal a fourth successive Ulster U21 football title as they see off Donegal: The winners finished strongly in tonight's decider at the Athletic Grounds". MSN. 9 April 2014. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  11. Bannon, Orla (8 April 2015). "Tyrone footballers crowned Ulster Under-21 champions". RTÉ Sport. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018.
  12. "McGowan and McHugh called up". Donegal Democrat. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  13. McMahon, James (31 January 2013). "Preview: Allianz Football League Division 1". RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 31 January 2013. McHugh's brother Ryan, an exciting minor from last year, has joined the squad, while Mark McGowan, a member of the St Eunan's team that won last year's county championship, gets a recall having last featured in the senior ranks in 2008.
  14. Keys, Colm (30 January 2013). "Ten young guns aiming to fire in the league". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  15. "Donegal 0-12 Down 0-07". RTÉ Sport. 9 February 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  16. "National Football League: Donegal 0-12 0-7 Down". BBC Sport. 9 February 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  17. McNulty, Chris (9 February 2012). "Report: Donegal get off and running". Donegal News. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  18. Keys, Colm (24 June 2013). "McGuinness' mean machine finds way to stutter forward". Irish Independent. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  19. "Donegal reverse 2013 result to claim Ulster football title". The42.ie. 20 July 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  20. "Johnny Doyle column: The bookies don't normally get it so wrong - Our columnist holds his hands up and admits he never saw a Donegal win coming and heaps praise on a resurgent Kieran Donaghy". The42.ie. 1 September 2014. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2014. Yesterday we also got a huge performance from Ryan McHugh. There wasn't too much about him coming into the game so I guess it's a bit like Shane O'Donnell last year for Clare. Ryan really used yesterday as a platform to announce himself on the national stage.
  21. "Ryan McHugh: We knew we could reach the final". RTÉ Sport. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  22. Boyle, Donnchadh (12 September 2014). "Mark McHugh: I don't regret missing Donegal's season". Irish Independent. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  23. "Donegal forward Ryan McHugh wins Young Player award". BBC Sport. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  24. Mooney, Francis (24 June 2018). "Energetic Donegal end Fermanagh's Ulster title dream". RTÉ Sport. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  25. "Ryan McHugh out for rest of year due to concussion". RTÉ Sport. 26 September 2018. Archived from the original on 27 September 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  26. Farrelly, Mark (26 September 2018). "Concussion Ends Ryan McHugh's Season". Balls.ie. Archived from the original on 27 September 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  27. "Ryan McHugh takes break under medical advice". Highland Radio. 26 September 2018. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  28. Roche, Frank (26 September 2018). "Ryan McHugh ruled out for remainder of 2018 after suffering second concussion". Irish Independent. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  29. McNulty, Chris (26 September 2018). "Breaking: Ryan McHugh ruled out for rest of club championship". Donegal Sport Hub. Archived from the original on 27 September 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  30. McNulty, Chris (1 November 2018). "GAA All-Star Award for Donegal ace Ryan McHugh". Donegal Daily. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  31. "Ryan McHugh gives his reaction after picking up All-Star Award in Dublin". Highland Radio. 2 November 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  32. Fogarty, John (1 December 2018). "Ryan McHugh says more education needed on concussion issue". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  33. Sweeney, Peter (23 June 2019). "Donegal power past Cavan to claim Ulster title". RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  34. McCarry, Patrick. "Ryan McHugh modestly sets the record straight on his English football trial".
  35. McCarry, Patrick. "Ryan McHugh reveals more details on the game that got him a trial in England".
  36. Craig, Frank (23 December 2016). "McHugh: We love what we do – that's the honest truth". Donegal Now. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  37. Loughran, Neil (20 September 2016). "Ulster GAA players show off their skills in Peil Star video". The Irish News. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  38. "The 'Wee Man' was big". Donegal Democrat. 9 June 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  39. "Donegal's victory poses problem for prospective wife of Mark McHugh". RTÉ Sport. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  40. "McHugh cousins looking forward to minor clash". Donegal Now. 18 May 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  41. O'Toole, Fintan (8 October 2014). "11 for Kerry, 9 for Donegal, 9 for Dublin and 6 for Mayo in 2014 Allstar football nominees". The42.ie. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  42. Heneghan, Conor (2015). "The nominations for the 2015 GAA/GPA Gaelic Football All-Stars have been announced". JOE.ie.
  43. O'Toole, Fintan (27 September 2019). "13 players from Dublin as 11 counties feature in 2019 All-Star football nominations: Kerry, Donegal, Mayo, Tyrone, Meath, Roscommon, Armagh, Clare, Cavan and Cork also have nominees". The42.ie. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
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